Museum and gallery walk will feature art displays, musical performances
Posted on April 3, 2008
The Harrisonburg Spring Museum and Gallery Walk is returning this Friday, April 4. The Harrisonburg community can look forward to various venues in downtown that will be displaying different forms of art.
This free event is hosted by the Arts Council of the Valley every spring and fall. Various venues will extend their hours to be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will start at the Smith House at the corner of Franklin Street and Main Street and will continue down Main Street toward Court Square. Ashley McCoy, assistant director of the Arts Council, said that maps will be available at all the different participating venues, plus markers will be available to point out the various locations. Parking will also be available downtown in designated lots.
About 30 businesses will turn their spaces into showcases for different art including dance, poetry, music performances and more. McCoy described the event as an “all-encompassing arts event.”
Just a few of the venues participating in the event include Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine, Earth & Tea Café, Harrisonburg Children’s Museum, LaDeDa, Laughing Dog T-Shirts & Gifts, Little Grill Collective, Memorial Hall, Virginia Quilt Museum and You Made It! Pottery Studio.
Various JMU programs and students will also be participating in events. The JMU Ghandi Center will be showcasing the “Drawing Peace Program,” which McCoy described as a global art exchange to promote peace. McCoy said that this invites a global element to the event. JMU student musician Ryan Villanueva will also be performing at the Larkin Art Studios.
Other musicians of various styles will be performing in Court Square, the library and in various other locations.
One highlight will be the collaborative sidewalk chalk mural located at Court Square that everyone can participate in. McCoy said that by the end, this mural will be a type of “collective community artwork.”
More information on this event can also be found online at valleyarts.org.
